Today's Purchases (Non-classical)

Started by MN Dave, February 07, 2008, 10:06:24 AM

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George

Quote from: Brian on March 28, 2010, 05:44:51 PM
Now, here's the deal. I have three track downloads left. What should the last three songs in my haul be?

Here's some ideas:

Where Do You Go To - by Peter Sarstedt (from the Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack)
Father to Son - Cat Stevens
Somebody to Love - Queen
River - Joni Mitchell
Apeman - Kinks

Brian

Already searched for Cat Stevens, they don't have him  :(  but I will investigate those as soon as Handel's Water Music ends!  :)

George

Quote from: Brian on March 28, 2010, 05:52:09 PM
Already searched for Cat Stevens, they don't have him  :( 

That's 'cause you didn't go to gmusic.   8)

Quotebut I will investigate those as soon as Handel's Water Music ends!  :)

Cool, if I think of any more, I'll let you know.


Bogey

Just this weekend added these three pieces of minty vinyl to my collection:





and this gatefold:



Also upgraded my Whipped Cream. 





That brings my total to seven.  Great stuff!
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

George

Quote from: Bogey on March 31, 2010, 05:34:00 AMAlso upgraded my Whipped Cream. 



That brings my total to seven.  Great stuff!

You have seven copies of that one, Bill?

DavidW

Getting the bassy phones ordered--

Klipsch S4 for chores, exercise and around the house



M-Audio Q40 (decided on that over the M50) for in the office



Now I can rock out, and switch back to Senns for classical. :)

George

Quote from: DavidW on March 31, 2010, 08:12:04 AM
Getting the bassy phones ordered--

Klipsch S4 for chores, exercise and around the house




Can you tellme more about those? Ever since Sennehesier discontinued the MX500s, I have been in search of a replacement.

DavidW

Quote from: George on March 31, 2010, 12:27:22 PM
Can you tellme more about those? Ever since Sennehesier discontinued the MX500s, I have been in search of a replacement.

Cnet and Headroom both praised them and put them on the top phones list.  One of the few sub-$100 ones to make not just one list, but I think the only one to make both.  The bottomline seems to be that it's bassy, and a tad bit trebly with slightly recessed mids, i.e. V shaped frequency response (check out headroom's graph btw).  It's been praised by many more people than not on head-fi, and here is what Joker, a reputable head-fier, has said speaking more moderately of it (he did a broad, well written survey of a huge # of iems and portable cans and click on the link to see his whole survey)

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/multi-iem-review-54-iems-compared-visang-r03-added-03-28-a-478568

Quote from: Joker
Details: Klipsch's latest mid-range model that has received overwhelmingly positive reviews both here at head-fi and in the mainstream press
Current Price: $79.99 from Amazon.com (MSRP: $79.99); $99.99 for S4i with microphone
Specs: Driver: Dynamic | Imp: 18 Ω | Sens: 110 dB | Freq: 10-19k Hz | Cable: 4.2' I-plug (S4i); 4.2' L-plug (S4)
Nozzle Size: 3mm | Preferred tips: Stock Single-flanges
Wear Style: Over-the-ear or straight down

Accessories (3.5/5) – Silicone single-flange (3 sizes) and bi-flange tips, and metal carrying case (S4i instead includes a velvet carrying pouch and shirt clip)
Build Quality (4/5) – Housings are plastic but seem plenty sturdy and have articulated strain reliefs. Cable is a little thin for my liking but very flexible and doesn't tangle much
Isolation (3.5/5) – Block out an above-average amount of external noise
Microphonics (4.5/5) – Nonexistent when worn over-the-ear. Noticeable but not too bad otherwise. Included shirt clip helps further
Comfort (4/5) – Easier to insert when worn cord-down. When worn over-the-ear fit is very similar to the JVC HA-FX300

Sound (7/10) – Coming from the RE0 these seem colored and very heavy at the low end, lacking in clarity and behind slightly in detail as well. After some solitary time with the S4, I think that they are interesting earphones that deliver heavy bass impact, strong mids, and decent treble. The bass can be too powerful and boomy for my liking, but that's more of a personal issue - at least they don't give me bass headaches. It's not quite as tight as I would like, but can't be called bloated either. I can see why this bass has mass appeal – it can easily satisfy the bass junkie without offending the audiophile. There is a very small amount bleed into the midrange, which is smooth and articulate, if a little off-neutral (leaning towards warmth). The treble that the S4s put out is the weak point for me – it lacks the sparkle and smoothness of the RE0 and (even after 200 hours) still sounds somewhat harsh and sibilant. Soundstaging is quite respectable but individual instruments can sometimes be harder to pick out than I would like.

On a final note, I had a small issue with the relatively low impedance and high sensitivity of these - they have a tendency to hiss slightly even with normally dead-silent Sansa Fuze, and the hiss with a crappy lineout like the one on my integrated speaker amp is downright unbearable. They are also fairly revealing of a poor source and recordings so I wouldn't bother using them with an AM radio or that 96kbps webcast.

Value (7/10) – With a sound signature that can be appreciated by bass junkie, audiophile, and casual listener alike – and practicality to match – the S4s don't lack in any area. However, as is often with FOTM earphones, the hype is excessive. For me, in terms of sound, the S4 lack the "wow" factor of the RE0, Phonak PFEs, and many others. That said, I still consider these good value for money despite the several issues I have with their sound.

Pros: Competent build, fit, and finish
Cons: Cables don't inspire confidence, can be too bass heavy for some, hint of harshness/sibilance, prone to hissing

I don't like sibilance, but that's pretty much the sound signature I was looking for, for classical there are others out there, I wanted bass slam for rock. ;D

George

Quote from: DavidW on March 31, 2010, 01:23:20 PM
Cnet and Headroom both praised them and put them on the top phones list.  One of the few sub-$100 ones to make not just one list, but I think the only one to make both.  The bottomline seems to be that it's bassy, and a tad bit trebly with slightly recessed mids, i.e. V shaped frequency response (check out headroom's graph btw).  It's been praised by many more people than not on head-fi, and here is what Joker, a reputable head-fier, has said speaking more moderately of it (he did a broad, well written survey of a huge # of iems and portable cans and click on the link to see his whole survey)

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/multi-iem-review-54-iems-compared-visang-r03-added-03-28-a-478568

I don't like sibilance, but that's pretty much the sound signature I was looking for, for classical there are others out there, I wanted bass slam for rock. ;D

Thanks David! I am looking for something closer to nuetral.

DavidW

Anyway from what I was reading this is what it looks like sub-$100 if you like grado or akg sound signature (forward mids, treble extension, rolled off bass, highly detailed) RE0 is the best, if you want warm, bassy sound, less detailed, you want Klipsch S4.  At more expensive price points the former is embodied by Etymotics and the latter by the Sennheiser IE line.  At least that was the impression I got from reading up on that forum. :)

DavidW

Quote from: George on March 31, 2010, 01:26:44 PM
Thanks David! I am looking for something closer to nuetral.

Aha! :)  Head-fiers seem to suggest RE0.  Check out that survey.  Sennheisers will actually fail here, they are supposedly bass heavy.  Word of warning, be careful about using graphs for in ears btw, there bass and treble response depend a great deal on the kind of seal you get and vary alot from person to person, but I bet you already knew that. :)

71 dB

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DavidW

Vampire Weekend ordered, arrived today--


George


Bogey



We have about a half acre of established sod and I was cutting it with a riding mower.  However, could never hear the birds at their feeders and more importantly, I am sure they could not hear each other.  Plus a good work out twice a week.
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

listener

for 17 pounds and a bit, including shipping from amazon uk but shipped from Germany, 11 railroad DVD's
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

MN Dave


MN Dave

CREATURES OF THE POOL - Ramsey Campbell

DavidW

Quote from: MN Dave on April 10, 2010, 11:23:43 AM
CREATURES OF THE POOL - Ramsey Campbell

You know I picked up Long Lost by him from a library book sale, it will be my intro to him. :)